May 11, 2004 - Trade ministers from the world's least developed nations meeting in Dakar expressed disappointment at their continued marginalisation and position at the bottom of the global trade rankings, and voiced opposition to agricultural subsidies enjoyed by their richer trade partners.

The aim of the meeting which opened on Tuesday with 78 delegates from the developing countries attending, is to "allow the least developed countries (LDCs) to make concrete proposals as a negotiating force" on the key issues of agriculture and trade, said Senegalese Trade Minister Awa Gueye Kebe, who is chairing the gathering.

The ministers have been joined here by trade experts and representatives of such NGOs as Oxfam and Action Aid.

World Trade Organisation (WTO) chief Supachai Panitchpakdi, European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, and UN High Representative for Least Developed Countries Anwarul Karim Chowdhury were also attending the meeting.

"My presence here is a sign of friendship and commitment to dialogue with you and... to move forward... on the Doha agenda," said Lamy, referring to stalled trade liberalisation talks launched in the Qatari capital, Doha, in November 2001.

Supachai urged officials at the Dakar talks to "show realism, flexibility and a determination to make progress. I count on your constructive engagement and your leadership at this important juncture."

Concerns at lowering of trade barriers

A major concern of developing countries, most of which are African, is that a broad lowering of trade barriers as part of the Doha round would erode preferential access they currently enjoy to developed countries' markets.

Another source of concern is a controversial set of trade issues called "the Singapore issues" — trade facilitation, transparency in government procurement, cross-border investment and competition.

Agricultural subsidies

Benin's Trade Minister Fatiou Akplogan, along with delegates from Nepal, Mozambique and elsewhere, questioned Lamy on the matter of agricultural subsidies.

The EU's Lamy replied that he had made a "substantial proposition" to eliminate trade subsidies for a list of products of interest to developing nations.

However the total liberalisation of the agriculture sector "is not a solution", Lamy told a press conference at the end of the first day of the meeting.

WTO trade negotiations have been on a back burner since the failure of a WTO ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico, in September last year. Those talks stalled, in part, over a dispute on farm subsidies between rich and poor members of the WTO.

The rich countries say subsidies are permitted under WTO rules, but poor states argue they distort trade and make it impossible to compete fairly.

Weekend meeting over proposals

Negotiators from the EU, Brazil, South Africa and the United States met in London at the weekend to define a package of proposals that would incite developing nations to move forward on the trade talks and conclude the Doha round by January 1, 2005.

Chowdhury urged delegates not to be distracted by the "Singapore issues" before negotiations are concluded on the Doha round.

According to WTO chief Supachai, a total of 28 WTO members "have, on an autonomous basis, announced measures to improve market access opportunities for LDCs. There remains a high level of political commitment to granting quota free and duty free access to LDCs".

The meeting ends Wednesday.

AFP